Month: September 2015

Matthew Stellas is M obsessed. He runs his own blog at mfatuation.blogspot.com, chronicling his love for M cars and serving as an outlet for his automotive passion. While anybody can admit that, at the same time or another, they’ve loved an M3, Matthew’s story is pretty unique.

Residing on the New Jersey coast in Barnegat Bay, Matthew’s house has a ocean view in a quiet bay community. Unfortunately, this placed him in the direct line of superstorm Hurricane Sandy. So on October2012 and 25, many lives, neighborhoods and homes were destroyed. And on the list of devastation was the loss of Matthew’s pair of BMW M3s: a ’99 Estoril Blue E36 and a ’11 Alpine White E92.

Both cars were a total loss, forcing Matthew to consider other options. After experiencing and enjoying the crushing torque of the Nissan GT-R twin-turbo, I didn’t think I was able to return to BMW in the foreseeable future, he said. Finally arrived at the realization that neither was right for me, although I was taking into consideration the GT-R or possibly a 997 Porsche Turbo. I made the decision that a force-fed S65B40 [M3 V8] will beWith that epiphany, Matthew bought his E36 back from the insurance company to revive it, but ordered a 2013 M3 in Santorini Blue from BMW Individual with European delivery.

The special blue paint is both stunning and rare. So, rare, in fact, that Matthew’s M3 is just one of only nine coupes in the united states. Pulls off the hue with class, particularly when paired with painted and anodized gold BBS Motorsport E88 wheels, despite the fact that it’s loud. It also provides the right stance thanks to a KW Sleeve-over Kit that mixes height-adjustable lowering springs with the stock M3 dampers. The truth is, this might be just about the most beautiful E92 M3s we’ve encountered.

The performance and wheels parts were all supplied by Eric Nareshni at Supreme Power Parts (SPP) in Placentia, CA. He also sourced the carbon fiber Vorsteiner GTS-V front splitter and Type II rear diffuser plus a BMW M Performance carbon front spoiler (which had been given a Santorini stripe by IND Distribution),

Some ten years ago, Eric supplied parts to Matthew for any previous car and the pair have worked on projects ever since. So, eric also ordered gloss-black hood vents, kidney grilles, side gills and painted reflector deletes from IND Distribution to complete the exterior makeover.If it could possibly pack enough muscle to backup its brutal looks, after a few moments travelling this stunning car, you begin to wonder. And that’s where things get interesting.

A company called Harrop produces supercharger kits using Eaton Twin Vortices Series (TVS) superchargers, as seen on cars much like the Corvette ZR1 and Audi S4 3.0T. Operating out of Australia, the Harrop systems are far removed from what you’ve seen before in E9X M3 engine bays.

While Roots-type blowers were used on older BMW models, all the competitors are currently using centrifugal superchargers such as Vortech or Rotrex units in the M3’s 4.0L V8.

The centrifugal units work by building boost with engine speed, providing a big power increase in a linear fashion that mimics the stock engine character. Whereas a Roots-style, positive displacement supercharger has the chance of instantaneous, tire-shredding torque. This can give the M3 V8 a characteristic it never had before: low-end grunt. And the torque can be obtained throughout the power band.

Contacting Harrop, Eric decided to be one of the first to setup the new blower system with an E92 M3. And knowing Matthew wanted forced induction, he proposed they build this unique machine. So, after reaching a binding agreement, Matt’s car was the 1st M3 in the world to run the Harrop kit.

Like any new power-adder, tuning is crucial and this system still needs fine-tuning for US temperatures and fuel. But even in its unfinished state, we will tell youstart of torque, associated with near-silent operation, brings uneasiness in the pit of your stomach. You know something incredible is going to happen however, you dare not unleash it… yet!

With more torque, lower in the powerband in comparison to the competition, though once Harrop has finalized the tune, Matthew’s car is expected to create competitive horsepower numbers. The coming months will tell so we hope to have dyno numbers very soon.

Once performing and tuned to its full potential, Matthew’s M3 is ready to go and quit. A full Brembo GT kit shines from behind the 19 BBS. The set-up utilized six-piston monoblock front calipers and four-piston rears with 380mm drilled rotors all round.

Inside, Matthew made a decision to keep things simple. I adore the stock seats but I’m tempted to try Recaros in there, he told us. But for now, all he added was a flat-bottomed BMW M Performance controls – another modification we are able to get behind.

With only 900 miles on the clock, Matthew is excited to ship his M3 back to the Jersey Shore so he can finally enjoy his creation. Stay tuned for updates on power burnouts and figures!

Driving and Drinking is the biggest “no-no” around. There are some really ., tasty and refreshing . . dare I have faith that it . . . rather special drinks you can enjoy which don’t possess any alcohol inside them at all.

Summer barbecues could be fun for all, with or without the beer. These recipes all come with a warning however, it’s not a health warning but rather a warning that the people who are said to be drinking the beer and wine will likely try to snaffle a taste of the delicious drinks when you’re not looking. You’ll have to be on your guard and make sure that you have plenty in reserve.

Ginger Cranberry Punch – yes, it sounds pretty special and yes it tastes special too. Take some thin slices of fresh ginger and boil inside a little water, then accept it away from the heat and leave it steeping to essentially absorb every one of the flavors. Then strain the liquid and add a few cups of cranberry juice, raspberry juice can do too should you don’t get the cranberry. Next, you’ll need to have a dash of lemon juice as well as some slices of lemons and oranges, then serve it chilled poured over lots and lots of ice. Warning – even the people who aren’t driving and might drink the wine and beer will probably make an effort to drink this, so make sure to keep a close eye onto it.

Lemon and Orange Fizz – who doesn’t like something fizzy on the hot summer’s day? Just combine a number of cups of delicious orange seltzer with a tablespoon of lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of frozen lemonade. In the event you rub around a cocktail glass rim with some lemon, dip it into some crystallized sugar and fill with ice cubes before filling using this fizzy drink, this not just tastes delicious but also looks extremely elegant, particularly. It’s refreshing, it’s zingy and it’s alcohol free. Again, you’d better hide it from your beer drinking buddies.

Fruity Iced Punch – there are plenty of different punch recipes, some include alcohol but some really don’t need it at all. All you’ve reached do is always to freeze several different fruit juices from the ice trays of your freezer, then pop a collection of ice cubes in a glass and top with saltzer water and ginger ale. This drink is deliciously refreshing and might be different each time, depending upon the flavors of fruit juice you select.

Limeade – if life serves you lemons make lemonade, and in case life serves you limes why not make lemonade? Heat a cupful of sugar inside a little water, stirring until all of the sugar has dissolved then you should add the juice of around 15 limes. It’s a nice touch to save lots of a few wedges for serving. Anyway, pop this drink into the fridge until you are ready to drink it . . If you store it in some sort of airtight container, . you may make it two or three days in advance.

So, let’s get this party started and head on to Downtown Nissan. If you’ve been sticking to these alcohol free drinks at your party, there are lots of new and used cars in Los Angeles and you’ll be perfectly able to taking the test drive.

You truly don’t must drink alcohol to get a good time, and you really don’t need to buy a new car to get something fabulous to drive.

Recently in this space, we recalled how America pooh-pooh’ed anything made in Japan following WWII-after which showed a Datsun Sports roadster to prove why that resistance was both futile and stupid. That attitude was once in the same way strong in Europe: It took another decade before Japan made serious inroads on the European continent, while Japanese cars made it to American shores in the late 1950s. The battles were the same: national pride, a skoshe of racism thrown in for good measure, as well as the Japanese car companies didn’t really try to gain a foothold in continental Europe until after the American market was under way and out from danger. A dribble of models from the ‘60s established the Japanese way of doing things, and European buyers were deluged by a flood of new and improved models during the ‘70s. Countries with established automotive factories and companies like Germany and France were slower to embrace the Japanese onslaught than countries, like Belgium or The Netherlands, that have few homegrown cars of their to speak of.

Once on European soil, all of the Japanese marques became entrenched exactly the same they conquered the rest of the world: excellent packaging and build quality, plus enough creature comforts, at a terrific price. The cars themselves weren’t necessarily fun, or powerful, nonetheless they were reliable; any issues finding parts mattered less when the damned things didn’t break. In addition, because the cost of fuel was triple what it is at the States, and because Europe was used to small-displacement machines running around, the Europeans got over their culture shock a little more readily and clutched the Japanese marques for their chests like long-lost kin. So, a number of the cool machines that never made it to America did get on a boat-but instead of coming here, they went to Europe.It’s a 1976 Toyota 1000, or model designation KP30. Imagine an early Corolla… but smaller. It never came to the States, which happens to be probably why you’ve never heard of it-the Corolla was small enough, thanks a lot; the KP30 was consigned to Japan and, starting in late 1974, multiple European destinations. Germany came first (the Toyota 1000 name was export-only nomenclature) but it really quickly got traction in Switzerland and the Benelux region, where Toyota called it Copain, or “buddy”. Purchased in Japan as being the Publica, this wasn’t the starchy little ‘60s sedan that shared air-cooled two-cylinder power together with the legendary Sports 800, but was an all-new version, introduced in 1970 and based upon a shortened E10-generation (earliest) Corolla chassis. (From some angles, it bears over a passing resemblance to a pre-’74 Corolla as well.) Wagon, pickup and two-door sedan versions were available also. The KP30 was targeted at first-time buyers, as the Corolla was Toyota’s rapidly-established family car in Japan; there was no hopped-up performance versions, beyond a fastback coupe that appeared mid-‘70s, called Starlet. By 1978 it was actually done, replaced by the KP61-generation Starlet which was available here.

Most significantly, the KP30 weighed 1,500 pounds full of fluids, and the power (such as it was, about 44 horsepower in the iron 993cc K-series inline-Four) went to the back wheels. Rendering itareas of his vision: “My inspiration is from Bosozoku (Japanese street gang), Belgian car culture (clean and lowered) and Mad Max! ,” he says. He wanted something that wouldn’t cost a million Euros to develop, which meant bang for your buck was essential. Also: he wanted a car from his birth year: 1976.

Voila! Greg turned up an old lady-spec Toyota 1000: bone-stock, untouched, relatively low mileage and then in really nice shape. No rot, no dents, clean in and out. (Easier said than done in a place like Belgium, where the climate is a little more Delaware than Del Mar.) It would warm a purist’s heart to find out a vintage machine such condition.

So of course, he tore its ass up: out came the wheezy 993cc Four as well as in went a turbocharged Mazda 13B out from a late ‘80s RX7 Turbo II that, as was so most of the case Stateside, had a perfectly good engine encased within a rotting shell. Nearly quintupled the Toyota’s stock 45 horsepower and is placing a solid 200hp to the rear wheels, because of this. (The intercooler hanging off of the front gives it a part-Mad Max, part-bosozoku feel.) A quick diddle of the calculator reveals that the particular Toyota measures in at around 7.5 pounds per horsepower, exactly the same power-to-weight ratio like a Lexus LF-A. Some fabrication had to be introduced into the equation because the last thing you’d want with all of that torque and power are the floor pans folding themselves into a pretzel. A fresh engine cradle had to be manufactured to hold the low, light 13B in place. The trans tunnel was torn up and replaced with a welded cage, both for strength and clearance. The work is simple, clean and strong, but needed.a collection of aftermarket AE86 wheel flared trimmed to suit and grafted into place; a hood with a set of vents a rear-engined VW fastback grafted in; a front lip he scored on eBay; a pair of TA22 Celica fender mirrors, painted the factory mustard hue to fit the rest of the machine he sprayed himself (though we’d prefer to think of it as the sort of golden brown you’d see on a Belgian Waffle, ‘cause we like carbs more than condiments).

Similarly, the stock suspension and brakes are largely left alone: some gas shocks instead of the ancient oil shocks propping up the rear end, new coilovers replacing the factory MacPherson struts in front, and nothing special with all the brakes whatsoever. The Delta wheels were sourced from Greg’s brother’s old rotary Mazda and replaced a vintage list of Gottis that had lived there previously.

We realize what 7.5 pounds per horsepower feels like, in rough terms, but we wanted to hear Greg describe it. He told us, “Special moment is a meeting with exhaust flame and bang bang song.” OK, then.

Good thing that hot Japanese cars such as this refuse to acquire lost in translation.

 

1974 Nissan Skyline GTX 2000 at SEMA 2013Nissan GT-R builds are making big news at this year’s SEMA 2013 show using the likes of Liberty Walk and R’s Tuning. But we can’t forget the heritage of this Japanese supercar. The JDM 1974 Nissan Skyline 2000 GTX here is a far cry from modern but simply as cool (if not more).

Felix Marcelino, vehicle owner and F/Zero2 clothing brand co-owner says, I’m not a diehard classic car guy but new cars are just too heavy. I just don’t feel like you’re doing the driving with new GT-Rs.

Displayed at the Toyo Tires Treadpass show outside the SEMA convention center its features include: fender flares, trunk spoiler, front chin, Magnaflow exhaust, custom GTS seats, MB and Alpine Quart audio, Tech Toy Tuning coilovers and Fatlace X AME F/Zero1 wheels. Still it also utilizes the original L20 engine, which now has 120 kilometers.

This piece of righthand drive history may not feature SEMA’s greatest and latest but it is still drawing a steady crowd of tuners for good reason.

Some people have those types of jobs where the majority of their working hours are spent on the road. Living life away from your car can be hard; unless you fit these three things to you that is.

1. Entertainment

When you find yourself spending much time on the road, one of the most important things that you have to get is a thing to entertain you when you are on the road. If music and news is your thing, think about getting satellite radio or subscribe to podcasts plus a streaming music service. If books are your thing, there are streaming or download services for audio books now, meaning you could have hours of entertainment for just a few dollars a month.

2. A Comfortable Car

If you are spending a lot of time on the road, one necessity is a car that is comfortable to drive many hours in. With the Nissan Maxima from Nissan Moreno Valley, you can find all of the luxury features you expect of a car that you spend your life in, including a luxury sound system and a rear view monitor, along with a navigation system that will always get you in your destination. This car also has decent fuel useage so that you save money time at the pump. Learn more about the Maxima and find out tips on how to schedule a test drive at Metro Nissan Redlands.

3. A Rewards Card

Think about getting a hotel loyalty card when you are spending lots of nights at hotels. With either joining up as a frequent guest or having a credit card that offers you points, you can earn free stays, upgrades to your room and other perks that you may not have even thought about before. When you find a favorite hotel and are loyal, there is a lot to acquire.

There’s always a bit of skepticism whenever innovation occurs. It merely comes with the territory. Any time there is something that has never been seen, read about, or experienced previously, you approach with many doubts. You happen to be human in the end, so it’s only natural to do so; otherwise you’d just believe everything-the act of a fool. Along with this inherit human condition, you are also responsible to learn and understand things. If for some reason you decide on not to, yet again, you are the fool.From the Honda community, innovation has become the motivator in keeping our love of the Japanese automaker alive. Development and experimentation helped to change the landscape in the entire tuner movement, though the ability to swap engines into different platforms wasn’t a common practice at one point. It’s hard to believe, but there was doubters in the past that couldn’t fathom thinking about transplanting an engine with any degree of success-until someone tried. Things have evolved a lot in just the very last five years that what was once considered impossible, is now the typical.

Ryan Basseri of Rywire Motorsport Electronics has done his fair share to contribute to the growth of the Honda community. He was one of the first to really attack customized engine harnesses from your retail standpoint. A niche market, it’s transformed what was after a home-operated business into a successful company now based in Southern California. Rywire is a huge major player in helping to build the new standard in fully customized engine bays and wiring, but Basseri’s latest idea might just be the subsequent big wave of innovation that rocks the foundation of our community.

1986 honda civic si DTR custom exhaust manifold 22

1986 honda civic si honda optional dash tray 21

1986 honda civic si purplespeed front lip 16

Before we receive to that, however, we should give you a little background on the ’86 Civic pictured because individuals who aren’t inside the know have previously cast doubt as to what is really ground breaking about a nearly 30-year-old chassis. The exterior is carefully restored to near showroom condition, the pristine interior appears like it had traveled through time, and the aftermarket exterior add-ons are merely about as rare since it gets for the car of the age. It should also be noted that this vehicle is a true right-hand-drive E-AT Civic which had been transported towards the states direct from Japan some years ago.

The (Civic) originally belonged to my buddy John Nguyen. Ryan says. He had two of these at the time and simply felt that he didn’t have the time [or the resources] to dedicate to both. I loved the condition of the car and all of the rare stuff he had because of it. He wanted my ’88 CR-X therefore we decided to swap shells. I needed some ideas floating around during my head i really planned to bring to life and I thought it’d be really cool to add the latest in motorsports technology into just what is aThe exterior of Ryan’s E-AT has been carefully restored and repainted by 5Fifteen Autobody. A rare Purple Speed front lip and OsakaJDM rear spoiler assistance to add a touch of style towards the boxy ’80s design cues, but it is the things you don’t realize that makes this Civic exceptional. If necessary, master fabricator Jared Seganti was brought in to produce a series of custom components that allowed for each and every panel of your front-end to essentially be removed piece-by-piece. Bolted towards the custom engine support brackets are Hasport mounts cuddling a JDM B18C on a strict diet of PurOl oil and naturally, Rywire harness equipped. Instantly, two things immediately leap out at you; the initial being the 55mm Kinsler individual throttle bodies. Another, for those knowledgeable in Honda engine bays, has to do with that groundbreaking idea we mentioned earlier. There’s no throttle cable in sight, as you can see. Conventional wisdom lets you know that some sort of cabling system is required to open and close the throttles, and most would assume that cable is hidden neatly. In actuality, it’s non-existent. For the first time ever, an ITB-equipped B-series motor is operated under an electronic drive-by-wire (DBW) system. Ryan has come up with a way to control the butterflies on his Kinsler ITBs having an electric servo that drives a pushrod that controls throttle pressure via a custom onboard accelerator pedal. DBW is nothing new in today’s generation of vehicles. Furthermore, engine swaps in ’80s Hondas have been done often before. But this is the novice someone has combined the twoin accordance with the same principles as a factory system, albeit with some important changes. We used AEM’s new Infinity engine management system to create this possible. It gives us the ability to use any pedal with a potentiometer onboard or any throttle body with an electric servo. The Infinity’s Set-Up Wizard does the remainder. The most difficult part was trying to find a throttle body that had the servo that we could retrofit properly. It had to be able to spin the proper direction and also have ease when it came to mounting it. I had a vision with regards to how it needs to be done and my fabricator, Jared, executed it perfectly.

Every creation comes with its fair share of trial and error. Any time you make an attempt to do something that hasn’t been done before you’re more likely to run into some issues. Luckily for Basseri, he possessed a helping hand in Bisi Ezerioha of Bisimoto Engineering. He ended up being working on a DBW system himself on various older model Porsches he was building, so he had experience with the AEM Infinity unit. The man that was called upon to wire up Bisi’s cars was Ryan, so it was really a trade-off in a another’s fields of expertise. Another distinctive Rywire upgrade was this E-AT’s lack of any electrical relays. Instead of using dated electrical components from decades ago, Ryan has opted to operate everything through a Racepak SmartWire PDM unit. The SmartWire is a fully programmable power distribution module that eliminates the necessity for any relays. Switching of inputs, controlling current flow, along with all on-off switching functions can now be manipulated through thesystem is not something that everyone will easily understand right away. Ryan could take his time explaining the entire concept in detail to some large group people and most of them may end up just marveling with the floating engine in the E-AT’s bay. Never mind the technological advancements, they are too busy wondering if the car even runs. His detractors will probably respond to their lack of understanding by proclaiming that the DBW system is pointless or too slow. Skepticism reigns supreme to blind eyes. The aim now is to work alongside experts like Bisi to truly fine-tune and ideal the use of this modern technology. Everything around this point has become very organic but the groundwork has been laid for future success. Those who don’t understand can still appreciate the mixture of brand new age technology with classic Honda design. In the broad spectrum of the entire Honda community, Ryan’s ’86 Si stands alone, as there just isn’t anything quite like it. It’s a completely new consciousness that lives in the ghost of Honda’s past.

We know what you’re thinking… Is that another Rocket Bunny kit? Hear us out, though you guessed correct! There are many reasons why we decided to throw this car on the cover, and no, one of them isn’t because we’re high (Except for maybe Matty Ice-SD). First, while many of the Bunny-kitted FR-Ss around are built for show, this Scion is designed strictly to the track-we’ll acquire more into that later. Second, our friends at Mackin Industries have put it together; you know, the organization that imports everything awesome from Japan such as RAYS and Yokohama wheels, Project Mu brakes and MXP exhaust systems. Mackin is additionally celebrating its 40th anniversary in the industry this coming year-they’re kind of a large deal! Third, this FR-S is crazy vibrant. You need to get your eyes checked if you can’t spot this car around the track or at a show. It screams for attention but righteously has the ultimate tuning package to support it, which is why it’s getting the attention it deserves here.

We sat down with Eddie Lee of Mackin, who is no stranger to Super Street having owned a couple cars that have graced our pages before. “With the FR-S, we wished to showcase each of our parts whilst showing many of the companies we collaborate with like KW and GReddy,” he explained. Before but it’s been four or five years since we did a car of our own, “We’ve teamed on top of these companies on a lot of cool projects. We’re all car guys here and we don’t just slang parts. The FR-S was the hottest car to build a year ago so we put everything we had into this project.”

Now if you’ve driven an FR-S or read enough reviews, you’ll recognize that the most common gripe is power. Leaves you begging for more, especially on the highway or accelerating down long straights, even though the 2.-liter four-cylinder Boxer engine isn’t a slug as it pushes out 200hp to the crank. Mackin knew it planned to develop the car for racing without taking away from the spirit of the FR-S, so they worked together with GReddy to fit its latest turbo kit. The kit comes with everything needed-T18Z top-mount turbo, exhaust manifold, downpipe, Airinx intake and front-mount intercooler. Matched with an MXP titanium exhaust, the FA20 threw down 230hp at the wheels giving the FR-S some much needed pep to its step. Plus with a lot more horsepower, a Carbonetic 1.5-way limited-slip differential was installed to aidthe majority of the modifications done to the FR-S were to improve handling and grip, hence the serious braking, aero and suspension mods. The brakes feature signature Mackin goodies from Project Mu, and both front and back use the newest Monoblock calipers along with Club Racer pads.

In front of the brakes is a staple of Mackin, Gram Lights wheels. The coupe also runs on Toyo T1 Sport tires however these will be switched for some thing grippy as soon as the car finally hits the track.

While all of us can spot a Rocket Bunny kit from a mile away, in addition, it serves a purpose allowing the Mackin FR-S to run a wider wheel and tire setup for additional grip, as for aero. They also swapped out your Bunny rear spoiler for any track-proven Voltex wing, giving the Scion better downforce. Once the aero was installed, Mackin didn’t skimp on quality and opted to paint the car inside and outhave also been an important factor toward gaining one of the most agility out from the car. So Mackin had the interior basically stripped minus Sparco seats and had a NASA-spec six-point rollcage fabricated by Evasive Motorsports. They also shed some pounds by replacing the entire, hood and trunk roof with dry carbon pieces-yes, the rooftop isn’t just an overlay, that’s real carbon, baby!

But the suspension takes the wedding cake. This car demonstrates the pinnacle of handling for the FR-S. Dropped on KW’s aggressive Clubsport coilovers, it’s also braced enough for supreme rigidity, zero body flex and minimum body roll. It provides the whole GTSPEC chassis package, which includes strut bars, control arms, subframe/fender braces and more. It’s also sporting some bulky Whiteline sway bars.

“This car feels good and doesn’t take from the original feel of the car,” Eddie concludes. “A lot of people say the FR-S resembles the handling from the S2000 however with less power. The turbo elevates our car past the we’ve and S2K developed all areas of performance to make it competitive.”

Having built one of the most track-ready FR-Ss in the world, the next step is to actually input it to good use. Eddie hinted it’s scheduled to race at the next 25 Hours of Thunderhill or something higher. For now we’re simply lovin’ it, though we’ll just have to see and wait.